Contouring machine



July 6, 1943. DUFFY 7 2,323,587

CONTOURING MACHINE Filed May 18, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 17Arow/7C DUFFY.

ayyg/z July 6, 1943. D, H, DUFFY 2,323,587

CONTOURING MACHINE Filed May 18, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. DAVfD H [JV/ F Maw mg July 6, 1943. D. H. DUFFY CONTOURING MACHINE 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 18, 1942 INVENTOR. f7. DUFFY.

" (f aw J y 1943- D. H. DUFFY 2,323,587

CONTOURING MACHINE Filed May 18, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR.

' '1! DAWDHDUFFY. BY

Patented July 6, 1943 QFFIQE CONTOURING MACHINE David H. Duiiy, Wichita,Karla, assigno'r to Beech Aircraft Corporation, Wichita, Kans., acorporation of Delaware 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a contouring machine, and the principal objectthereof is to construct a machine having a shaft rockable from itsvertical plane in one direction reciprocatingly and having cuttingblades secured to the shaft, and means to control the rocking movementof the shaft while beveling the contour of structures such as Wing ribs,bulkheads, or other frame elements that are peripherally engaged to formthe varying contour of wings, fuselages and their control elements.

A further object of this invention is to construct a machine forcontouring that is controlled by templates to form the peripheral edgesof pieces of work to a predetermined bevel at internals therealong aswell as its general contour whereby duplication of pieces of Work isaccurately maintained in the course of manufacture.

These and other objects will hereinafter be more fully explained,reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification, and in which like characters will apply to like parts inthe different views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine, and supporting tabletherefor.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View through the machine taken on line3-3 in Fig. 2. v

Fig. 4 is a side View of the machine and fragmentary portion of thetable top and templates.

Fig. 5 is a front view of Fig. 4 omitting the table top and templates,

Fig. 6 is a top or plan view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the templates and work piececarried thereby to illustrate a predetermined bevel for the'pieces.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the roller and frameabove the mouth of the structure.

Fig. 9 is a plan View of a wing rib and stationary supporting means onone of the templates, the other template being removed.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged side view of the cutter, shaft, and itsconnecting means to a motor shaft, the latter being in section.

Fig. 11 is a transverse side view of Fig. 10,

Fig. 12 is a cross section taken on line |2|2 in Fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is an outside elevation of the rockable carrying frame for theshaft.

The invention herein disclosed relates to a contouring machine mountedon a table I, the table top having an opening A through-which themachine extends and being suitably secured in working relation to saidtop. As a convenient position for an operator there is provided aninwardly extending recess B at the side of the table opposite themachine, the topbeing arest on which to slidably move the elements beingcontoured as worked by the machine.

Said machine consists ofa shaft 2 vertically disposed and carried by aframe consisting of two oppositely disposed sides 3, the sides beingconnected rearwardly by a back 4, said backbeing reinforced by ribs 4/as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 6, said carryingframe being closed at itsupper extremity by a head 5 removably securedby cap screws 5, said headhaving attached theretoa Zerk oiling means Land a counterbalance weight8 to offset an eccentric POSition of the shaft later described. Theheadof the frame being concavo convex has in its concave side a ball bearing9 secured therein through the medium of a disc l6 and on' which thebearing seats by which means the shaft is journalled at its upperextremity, said shaft extending downward to where it detachably connectsto a shaftjl of a motor 12, said motor threadedly engaging withathreaded and transversely split collar I3 at the lower te minal end ofthe carrying frame, there being ears I l, oppositely disposed at thesplit and being tensioned together by a bolt I 5 to lock the motoragainst rotation in the collar. There i also provided a slot i3transversely crossing the split to provide flexibility when the bolt istightened.

It will be seen that the head 5 has a downward extension 5' engaginginward of the neck portion C of said frame, the extension having ashoulder D to seat on the end of the outside race of a ball bearing I6,while the other end is secured by an annular ring I? secured to thelower end of said extension by screws N3, the inside race or saidbearing tightly engaging around a sleeve l9 extending downward andthrough which the shaft 2 loosely engages. The sleeve has an annularflange E at its upper end to seat on the upper end of the said insiderace as carrying means for the sleeve, the saidbearing being closed atits lower extremity by an annular flange 20 extending thereacross whilethe mnerperiphery of the flange threadedly engages on the sleeve, saidsleeve downward from its threaded portion being reduced to permitremoval of the flange from the sleeve, and the said flange serving as anoil tight enclosure for the bearings thereabove.

A There is also provided another sleeve 2T that likewise loosely engagesabout the shaft, the sleeve having secure'dthere'to the inside race of aball bearing 22, while the outer race is secured within an annular band23 that extends therearound and being integrally joined to the back ofthe frame, the forward extension of the band being free and splittransversely, there being an ear 24 on each side of the split by whichmeans the band is clamped to the said outer race of the bearing by abolt 25 engaging through the ears. The lower ends of the ball races aresupported by flanges F and G integrally joined to the sleeve and band,respectively, the upper ends having an annular flange 25 to cover thesame and threadedly engaging with the sleeve 2|, said flange being aguard against flying debris from a contouring cutter carried by theshaft.

Said sleeves at their adjacent ends are adapted to serve as a bearingfor the peripheral edges of templates 2! and 28 and revolved thereby toavoid excess friction when the templates are moved, said templatescarrying therebetween panels, ribs, or other elements to be contoured byblade cutters 29 secured to the shaft by dovetailed wedges 30, thelatter being secured against longitudinal movement by set screws 3!,respectively, whereby said blade cutters are removable, I

said cutters being positioned to engage with a piece of work supportedby the templates to contour the work.

It will be seen that the said carrying frame is supported by anotherframe that is rigidly supported to the table and surrounding saidcarrying frame with respect to its sides and back, said frame comprisingside walls 32 and 33 in parallelism and being connected rearwardly by awall 34 that is secured to a vertically disposed support 35 by bolts 36,said support extending downward through the table top and lying on theside rail 31 of the table and being secured thereto by bolts 38 as rigidsupporting means for the outer frame, said vertical support being bracedat its extremities by a member 39 secured thereto and to the undersideof the top of the table.

The sides of the carrying frame and sides of th stationary frame eachhaving mouth openings in registry with each other, and through which thetemplates move, the carrying frame having an arcuate track 40 followingthe contour of each month opening and outwardly extending oppositelyfrom its sides, each track to be engaged by a plurality of rollers 4|that are journalled on the inside of each side wall of the stationaryframe, whereby the said carrying frame may be rocked in one directionreciprocatingly, the rocking movement being actuated by the templatesforced to engagement with the sleeves of the shaft heretofore described,the force actuated by an operator positioned in the recess of the tabletop as a manipulator for said templates that are positioned as shown inFig. 2.

To contour and bevel the edge of a wing rib 42:, the same is positionedon one side of the lower template as shown in Fig. 9, and being securedthereto against transverse and longitudinal movement by blocks 43 thatare secured to said template, and adapted to engage snugly with theinner edges of the wing frame, while the other template is centered by apair of pins 44 secured to the lower template and extending upward toengage in apertures through the upper template, whereby said templatesare brought to an accurate registry with respect to a predeterminedbevel that is formed on the contour of each template shown in Fig. 7 asan example. It will also be seen that a pair of T bolts 45 havingcorresponding ends connected to the lower template through the medium ofa plate 46, the T-ends of the bolts passing through a slot arrangedtherefor through the upper template, the T-end to be engaged by arockable cam 41 arranged on a plate 48 that is secured to the uppertemplate to serve as a track on which the cam will slidably engage,whereby when the handle of the cam is rocked downward, the templates arebrought to snug engagement with the wing frame, it being understood thata marginal edge portion of the wing frame extends outward from the edgeof the templates to be acted upon by the shaft cutter. Forcing the edgesof templates in contact with the sleeves of the shaft will rock the samefrom a vertical plane sulficiently for each sleeve to engage with theedge of its respective template to establish the predetermined bevelcoinciding with that of the templates, it being understood that therocking axis of the carrying frame is established at the vertical centerof the blades at their cutting contact, as at H, the radius of which isindicated by a line J, in Fig. 13. Therefore, when the sleeves are incontact with each template, the vertical rocking movement is at itslimit regardless th force of pressure applied; furthermore apredetermined contour of the wing frame is formed as the templates aremoved in the direction of the arrows as shown in Fig. 2. It will now beseen that the wing rib or other frame structure of an aircraft each maybe accurately reproduced in quantities.

Modifications may be made as lie within the scope of the claims.

Having fully described this invention what is claimed as new and desiredto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a contouring machine, a vertically disposed shaft having cutterblades secured thereto with their cutting edges lying parallel to theshaft, power means to turn the shaft, rockable carrying means in whichthe shaft is journalled, a table and stationary supporting meanspositioned on the table as carrying means for the rockable carryingmeans, said shaft adapted to rock about a horizontal axis lying in aplane parallel to the plane of the table and bisecting the effectivecutting edge of the blade, and a counterbalance to normally keep theshaft in vertical position, there being a pair of templates havingaligned bevel edges and carrying a work element therebetween to spacethe templates apart so that the templates will engage the shaft aboveand below its rocking axis respectively whereby when the templates areforced into engagement with the shaft they will rock the same, and thecutter blades will trim the edge of the element to correspond with thecontour of the templates as predetermined.

2. In a contouring machine, a table having a top and legs to carry thetop, said top having an opening therethrough adjacent one side thereofand a recess inwardly extending from the side opposite the opening, aframe means stationarily secured to the top and engaging in the opening,said frame means comprising two sides and a back connecting the sides attheir back edges, the front being open, said sides having arcuate mouthopenings at their front edges, a plurality of rollers journalled on eachside wall inward thereof in spaced relation, the turning axis of therollers spaced from the peripheral edge of their respective mouthopenings to conceal the rollers from view through the mouth openings, arockable frame means comprised of two oppositely disposed side walls anda back Wall connecting the side walls, the front of said frame beingpartly open, a head to close the upper end of said frame, a motor toclose the lower end of said frame and being carried thereby, each sidewall of said frame having a similar mouth opening to that in the sidewalls of said stationary frame, an arcuate track secured to andextending outward from each side wall of the said rockable frame, saidtracks adapted to engage on their respective rollers of the saidstationary frame as rockable carrying means for the said rockable frame,a shaft vertically journalled in the rockable frame and being connectedto the motor, said shaft having cutters secured thereto at the rockingcenter of the shaft and in registry with the said mouth openings, asleeve extending each way from the cutters and through which the saidshaft extends, each sleeve being journalled in the rockable frame, andadapted to rotate independently of the shaft, said sleeves being rotatedby templates having predetermined beveled edges each frictionallyengaging its respective sleeve as the templates are moved while beingpressed against the sleeves and whereby the shaft and frame is rockedintoalignment with the beveled edges of the templates, the cutterthereby shaping the edges of the element secured between the templatesto a predetermined contour.

3. In. a contouring machine as recited in claim 2, a weight obliquelyextending from the vertical axis of the upper head of the frame andbeing carried thereby to counterbalance the shaft and its carrying frameas eccentrically carried by the said track and rollers substantially asshown and described.

4. In a contouring machine of the class described, comprising a table, astationary frame mounted thereon, said frame having end and side wallsand rollers journalled on the inner side of the side walls, anotherframe positioned within the stationary frame, said last frame havingarcuate tracks to engage the rollers whereby said last frame is rockablymounted in said first frame, a vertically disposed rotatable shaftjournalled in said second frame, blades secured to the shaft andextending outwardly therefrom for forming a predetermined edge on apiece of work engaged thereby at one side of the shaft, the axis onwhich the said second frame rocks being at said one side and centrallyof the ends of the blades, a sleeve carried by the rockable frame andpositioned on the shaft adjacent each end of the blades, said sleevesadapted to turn on the shaft and being rotated by templates engagingtherewith, the templates having similar predetermined bevels andalignment with each other for offsetting the side of one template fromthat of the other whereby the larger template when brought intoengagement with its respective sleeve will rock the shaft from avertical plane to engage the other template for slanting engagement ofthe blades with the peripheral edge of the work as clamped between thetemplates.

DAVID H. DUFFY.

